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Today was Mackenzie's 7th birthday. Today was also her Christmas dance recital.Her party has been postponed until January. I'm sure you can all imagine how well this went down with a 7 year old girl.
Mike was also crushed, and jumped at the chance to see her on her birthday. Yesterday, we bought a Christmas bouquet, jumped in the car, and headed to Auburn. After a lot of confused walking around, we called and found out it was today. Sigh. At least we knew where we were going.
So we bought a new bouquet (the old one wilted too much, but looks fine on the table) and Mike took his special ornament he'd made for her. The one I had to go back to Michael's to buy another set of beads for- he needed letters to write "I love you" in it.
Mike got to hold her hand on the way in, and got to sit with her and another friend until intermission when she went to get ready to perform, and we found snacks for the bottomless pit of growing child.
2 hours. 2 HOURS of dance recital. Mackenzie was onstage about 5 minutes of that, and not one peep of complaint out of a 7 years old boy. She did a drive by of Mike and her friend who also brought her a flower, grabbing them out of their hands. I didn't even have a chance to get my camera up.
Then we went home, and she went with her family for a family birthday dinner. "At least I got so SEE her on her special day."
It was worth it to him. That boy could teach men 5x his age about loyalty, love and chivalry. I watched his heart get broken when he was 2 1/2 and there was a picture of Mackenzie kissing Max posted at the daycare. I've watched him face the wrath of her father when she kissed him at her 4th birthday party. (He only backed down when I pointed out it was all her, SHE chased HIM down.) I've seen him face her dad again after yelling across to her at her 5th birthday party, "Hey, Mackenzie, are you still going to marry me?" Sigh, "Yes, Michael. Of course I am." And Mike's response to Tim's glare, "Young man, you get a job, and come back and ask ME in 20 years." was a meek, "Yes, sir."
I find the idea of boyfriends and girlfriends in grade school ridiculous, but I also know how very serious it is to them. Mike struggled as a kindergartner explaining over and over that Rebecca was his best friend, but could never be his "girlfriend." It got worse in 1st grade and this year. He's cute, smart, and fun. And a big big flirt. He has gone through 7 year old hell explaining that Nina is NOT his girlfriend; they live around the corner from each other and often walked to school together. It got worse when people trying to sympathize that he'd lost his "girl" to Chad when she started walking with him some mornings.
And no one believes he has a girlfriend, because he won't give a name. She doesn't go to his school, so it's assumed he's making her up, especially when there is no name. I asked him why he would just tell people it's Mackenzie.
His eyes filled with tears. "Because they'd use her name to tease. I can take it, but if they used her name... I couldn't. I just couldn't."
Today, he got to spend some time with his very special friend, and get some reward for all he endures.
 Das Tor · Mon Dec 19, 2011 @ 06:38am · 0 Comments |
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